Shin-Soo Choo's special skill

Dustin Bradford/Getty ImagesMany players with Choo's hitting profile have aged quite well in recent years.

If you find it strange that the Yankees offered the same number of contractual years to Shin-Soo Choo as they did to Robinson Cano, it's worth remembering that Choo possesses a skill that does not disappear as quickly as defense or speed or fastball velocity.

The man has an acute ability to take a walk, and the folks who can do this tend to age well -- a tremendous talking point for his agent, Scott Boras, especially as he talks to American League teams, who can envision Choo going through his golden years as a designated hitter.

Choo is 31 years old and his outfield range is generally regarded as below average but playable, at this stage is in his career. His declining power against left-handed pitchers has raised concerns.

Choo's slugging percentage versus lefties:

2008: .455
2009: .456
2010: .332
2011: .352
2012: .286
2013: .265

Among some evaluators, there is some thought that Choo's power against lefties began declining after he had his thumb broken when hit by Jonathan Sanchez in June of 2011. Justin Havens of ESPN Stats & Info sent along the following info:

From 2008 to the point in 2011 where he got hit by Sanchez (June 24), Choo hit .266/.346/.383 against left-handers. From that point forward, he’s hit .217/.337/.296 against lefties. His performance overall -- as in both righties and lefties cumulatively -- has barely changed: .293/.388/.477 overall before, .286/.399/.457 since.

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Buster Olney

Buster Olney is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. He began covering baseball in 1989, as the Nashville Banner's beat reporter assigned to the Triple-A Nashville Sounds. Later, he covered the San Diego Padres (1993-94), the Baltimore Orioles ('95-96), the New York Mets ('97) and the Yankees ('98-2001). Olney joined ESPN The Magazine in 2003, after six years at The New York Times, and he's the author of two books. "The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty," is a Times best-seller, and "How Lucky You Can Be", about basketball coaching legend Don Meyer, was released in 2011.

He grew up in central Vermont collecting baseball cards and listening to Red Sox, Expos, Phillies and Pirates radio broadcasts, and was a rabid fan of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He graduated from Vanderbilt University the same year as hoops legend Will Perdue, and ranks among the all-time leading scorers in pickup basketball at Memorial Gym. He claims to have witnessed the Commodores' winning football season in 1982 (although anthropologists have not yet confirmed this).